I am curious to see the opinions of this matchup. Duran beat Leonard at 147 in the first fight while Benitez beat Duran at 154 but lost to Leonard at 147. How would this fight play out?
Maybe. Benitez would not have fought Duran in the manner that Leonard did in the first fight. I can see Duran winning a close decision but stopping Benitez, I don’t know.
They were actually supposed to fight a non-title fight at welterweight in Madison Square Garden on November 18, 1977, but Duran pulled out with the flu two weeks before the fight and Bruce Curry stepped in as a late sub.
Here's the blurb in the NY Times on Nov. 1 when Duran pulled out. https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/01/archives/flu-forces-duran-out-of-garden-bout.html Around the 30:20 mark the announcer talks about how Duran was supposed to be the opponent but he got the flu. This content is protected
That's a toughie. Mentally Duran hadn't been ashamed of quitting yet, so maybe that's the extra bit he'll need to dethrone Benitez. Hell I'll pick Duran because of my above statement.
For sure, Benitez isn’t going to stand and trade like Ray did - but if we’re talking the exact same conditioning, aggression, intensity and high output of Montreal Duran, at the pinnacle of his WW powers, - I think that would be enough for Roberto to semi-overwhelm Wilfredo to take a UD.
I like Duran to win this. When i rewatched Leonard's victory over Benitez i was surprised to see it to be an almost one sided fight. Leonard hurt him multiple times and was in control of the vast majority of the fight. Benitez really did seem to hit his sweetspot at 154. He was notably more robust and strong there whereas at 147 i found him a little fragile. If you took Montreal Duran and allowed him a few extra pounds and put him in with the Benitez he did actually fight i'm plumping for Benitez. Benitez for me gained quite a bit at 154 where Duran lost a bit. Duran decision at 147 with a stoppage not completely out of the question.
How I see it. Movers gave Duran problems and Benitez and Leonard (second fight) were the besxdt movers of all at that weight. Benitez by close decision.
